


Territorial

by MySweetPea



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Sweet Pea / Reader - Freeform, Sweet Pea x Reader - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-09
Updated: 2017-12-10
Packaged: 2019-02-12 17:48:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12965007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MySweetPea/pseuds/MySweetPea
Summary: Sweet Pea and Northsider River Vixen Reader are dating. All of a sudden, Reggie Mantle starts acting more aggressively flirtatious with the reader than usual. Sweet Pea is jealous and marks his territory while at a Bulldogs game. When something happens to the reader, Sweet Pea takes it out on Reggie.





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a combination of two requests:  
> Could you do a Sweet Pea and reader story where either some ghoulies or reggie/other bulldogs are hitting on the reader and he gets super pissed and makes out with the reader or makes hickeys on the reader? If you can think of something else thats good too  
> Hi! Can I get an imagine where y/n is a Northside cheerleader and that day the bulldogs had a game with some other team and the serpents went there to see her, but she has hypoglycemia and didn’t eat that day so she fainted and Sweet Pea went hysterical because he had no idea she suffered from that at all? Please

I checked my watch for the twelfth time in five minutes. It was almost the end of the school day, and I couldn’t wait to get out of here. My boyfriend had been out of town for a couple of days, and now that he was home, I just wanted to run straight to his place.

I couldn’t focus on whatever Ms. Condie was saying. I usually did well in biology, so whatever I missed for the last 10 minutes of class wouldn’t really impact my overall grade. I imagined how wonderful it would feel to hold Sweet Pea, to kiss him, to run my fingers through his gorgeous black hair. I continued daydreaming about him until the final bell rang.

I launched myself out of my desk like a shot. Time to see Pea!

I took off down the hall, easily dodging classmates as we all rushed to escape the drab confines of Riverdale High. I was used to this dance, though I wasn’t always in as much of a hurry as I was at that particular moment.

I had never really been apart from Pea for more than half a day. We were almost inseparable, and I liked it that way. Sure, we each had our own friends, but we were each other’s best friend.

I felt my phone buzz just as I reached my locker. I fumbled it out of my pocket while I tried to unlock my locker. It was Toni.

_“Hey girl, school is ooooout!!! Are you meeting us at the quarry?”_

I frowned. I loved the quarry, and I loved Toni, but I did sort of want some alone time with Pea after the past couple days.

_“Hey! Maybe, not sure yet. I'll probably hitch a ride with Pea.”_

At the same time, I shot Pea a text:  _“Are you going to the quarry right away, or can I meet you at your place?”_

Sweet Pea responded almost instantly:  _"Hey sexyyy, stop by my place first ;)"_

I smiled to myself.  _That's more like it._

I looked up at my locker, shoving my books inside in a hurry. I was still smiling like an idiot when I heard Reggie Mantle call my name.

"Well well well. Aren't you looking gorgeous today, little lady!"

I rolled my eyes. Reggie couldn't stop flirting to save his own life. It was a perpetual state of being for him. I had to deal with him fairly often because I was a River Vixen and he was the captain of the football team.

"Hey Reggie, what's up?" I turned to give him some attention while still preparing my bag for the end of the day.

He licked and bit his full lips. "Not too much right now, but I'm sure we could get something going if you're interested."

I rolled my eyes. "Not today and not ever, Reg. You know I'm spoken for."

Reggie draped one of his muscled arms around my shoulders. "Aaaah yes, baby, you may be spoken for by some lowly thug, but I could show you the world!"

I shot him a withering glare while shrugging off his arm.

"Are you really quoting Aladdin? As a pick-up line?"

Reggie shrugged. "Whatever works, babe, and believe me when I say it is true." He winked outrageously at me to emphasize his point.

"Reggie, seriously, not right now. I'm kind of in a hurry."

He glanced at his football buddies with a doubtful expression. "You're in a hurry to leave my presence? That doesn't sound right."

"I think you'd find that it is quite often the case if you actually listen to any of the women you proposition."

I heard some of the Bulldogs chuckle amongst themselves. I clicked my lock shut, moving to push past Reggie. My escape was blocked by his thick arm.

"Now now, no need to be hasty. I get that you have this 'boyfriend' to rush off to," he said, putting heavy air quotes around the word boyfriend, "but I don't think it's very nice to leave an old friend hanging mid-conversation!"

Reggie was usually a mild inconvenience to most girls at school. It wasn't very often that he crossed the line from creepy and pervy to being actually physically threatening, but at this moment, I was starting to get nervous. Reggie was taller and much stronger than me, and I could sense the breadth of his muscles right now. His face was set in a straight line, eyes unflinching.

I sighed. "Look, Reggie, I'm sorry, but if you want to be anything other than completely platonic friends, that isn't going to work for me. Or my boyfriend."

My phone vibrated to alert me to an incoming call. I saw Sweet Pea's name and photo flash across the screen.

"Who is that?" Reggie demanded, no longer looking amused.

I frowned. He sounded more annoyed than he should be. He was often flirting with me at practice, but it had always seemed fairly light, and he’d usually backed down when I talked about Sweet Pea. There wasn’t usually an audience of his football team, though, and the difference in his behaviour was very obvious.

"I told you, I have a boyfriend. He's calling right now."

Reggie grabbed my phone from my hand, staring at Sweet Pea's contact photo. A look of rage slowly built the longer the phone rang.

"Give me my phone back. I want to answer that."

I jumped for my phone quickly, but Reggie's football reflexes kicked in and he held the phone up high above my head. I stepped back, crossing my arms and funnelling all of my anger into my expression.

“Give. Me. My. Phone,” I bit out.

The football players began to murmur. I didn’t deign to look at any of them. All of my attention was focused on my anger towards Reggie.

He looked me up and down, appraising the situation. “Alright. Fine. Since you threw such a hissy fit, I guess you can have your precious phone back.”

He threw the phone high into the air. I managed to catch it despite the outrageous throw. Reggie stepped up far too close and sneered at me.

“See you at the game tomorrow,” Reggie hissed in my ear as he and his friends walked off down the hall.

I glared after him, taking deep breaths to calm myself down before returning Sweet Pea’s call. He could tell that something was wrong and he insisted that he come pick me up from school.

I made my way to the front of the school, still slightly shaken by the slightly out of character experience with Reggie. He wasn’t usually a bully like that. I didn’t consider him anything other than amusing most of the time. I shook my head, pursed my lips, and tried to focus on the fact that I was about to see Sweet Pea.

He pulled up to the curb on his bike. I ran to him before the engine was even off. With a whoop, he scooped me into his lap as he sat on the bike.

“There’s my girl!” he said with a smile as he layered kisses upon my face.

I giggled, pretending to fight him off for a few seconds before I sighed and leaned into him.

“I missed you. A lot.”

“I did too but don’t tell Fangs or he’ll go on about the fact that I’m supposedly whipped,” he smiled at me tenderly.

We sorted ourselves out to start our trip to Sweet Pea’s trailer. I wrapped my arms around his waist tightly and kissed his neck.

“Let’s go, my love.”

He nodded and we were on our way.

* * *

We spent about half an hour making out at his trailer before the incessant texts from Toni, Fangs, Short Stack, and Sienna became too many to ignore. We hit up the quarry, holding hands the entire time. After any time apart, we refused to separate for even a second. Fangs made his predictable comments about how soft and whipped Pea had become in his old age, and Sweet Pea shot back some loving comments about Fangs becoming bitter in his loneliness.

Our time at the quarry came to an end all too soon. We always had fun times with the Serpents. Most of my friends were now Serpents, with the exception of a couple of trustworthy Northsiders.

I headed back home with Sweet Pea, having told my parents that I would be at my best friend’s house for the night. We spent the night worshipping each other’s bodies and working out our pent-up feelings. When I finally fell asleep, I was curled in his strong arms while he kissed my head.

* * *

The next morning, I made Sweet Pea a breakfast sandwich before he drove me to school. The small, familial moments we had together always caused my heart to swell with happiness. I couldn’t imagine a better way to spend my morning.

Sweet Pea dropped me off at Riverdale High. He finally let me go after multiple minutes of kissing. It was no secret that I was dating him, but there were still people who seemed surprised every time they saw us together. I didn't really care who saw us. I was going to miss his; the next time I’d see him would be at the Bulldogs’ game that evening.

He had seen me cheer before, but he always left as soon as we finished our opening routine. One time, he had described his desire to watch the Bulldogs play as, “smaller than my desire to have fire ants crawling on my balls”. But tonight, I had convinced Toni and Fangs to come to the game, and Pea had finally relented when he realized that it meant that much to me.

I pulled away reluctantly. “Sweets, I gotta go. I have class in a couple minutes.”

He groaned and left a quick smack on my cheek. “There you are. Go conquer the day, princess.”

I giggled and stood. “I’ll see you tonight?”

“Of course. Wouldn’t miss it. We’ll be there nice and early,” Sweet Pea assured before he peeled off on his bike.

I watched him go until I couldn’t see him any longer. I sighed and turned to head to my locker.

One of the Bulldogs, AJ, was standing on the steps, watching me closely. He caught my eye and bobbed his eyebrows at me sardonically. I frowned back at him. I didn’t know AJ other than as a classmate, so why was he watching me and sending me subtle messages?

AJ turned and entered the building. The door shut loudly with a slam. There weren’t many people milling around the front lawn anymore as homeroom started in a minute. The eerie silence combined with AJ’s expression gave me the creeps.

I rushed to my first class, deciding to skip my locker for now. I felt unnerved by the small interaction with AJ and I couldn’t explain why.

* * *

The first half of the day went by well enough. School was just as boring and predictable as usual. Archie and Betty were up to something, as per usual, and Josie and Cheryl were stalking through the halls. I stayed out of everyone’s way and stayed quiet.

At lunch, I sat down with my two best friends. They were leaning together, whispering about something.

"Hey, ladies. What's the hot goss?" I asked as I unwrapped my sandwich.

My best friend Olivia whipped around with wide eyes. “You are!”

I started and knocked my sandwich onto the floor. “What??” I croaked in horror.

“Reggie is on the warpath,” confirmed my other friend Leah. “Everyone knows Sweet Pea dropped you off at school this morning, which like, isn’t usually a big deal, right? But Reggie is pissed because you, like, dissed him yesterday and then ‘had the nerve to show us with that thug’ this morning.” Leah threw up quick air quotes with her fingers as she spoke.

Both girls looked nervous. I was mostly confused.

“Why does Reggie care about my life at all?”

Olivia shrugged, her brow furrowed. “Honestly don’t know, but does that even matter? Fact is, he does care and he’s making it his business to do something about it.”

I scowled, staring down at my sad sandwich on the floor. The scene he made yesterday wasn’t enough; he had gone fully crazy.

Leah and Olivia nervously chattered away with each other, both of them eyeing me cautiously. I finally calmed down enough to give them a reassuring smile.

“I can handle Reggie. I’m just annoyed that I have to.”

Both girls nodded sympathetically. I could tell that they were glad it was me that Reggie was bothering and not them.

I scooped my ruined sandwich back into the bag, throwing it out in the nearby garbage can. “I’m going to head out. Thanks for the heads up. I’ll text you guys later if I’m still alive.”

Olivia frowned and shook her head at me teasingly. “You’d better text me even if you’re dead!”

I rolled my eyes and hurried towards my locker, stomach churning with anxiety. I needed to figure out what to do.

I whipped out my phone and texted Sweet Pea and Toni about the situation. Toni suggested grabbing his balls and twisting until his voice was permanently two octaves higher than usual. I pretended to consider it, knowing Toni's suggestions weren't going to get more reasonable. 

Sweet Pea was on red alert immediately, swearing and threatening Reggie’s life. I knew that his jealousy would rear its dramatic head. I found it endearing most of the time, and when he was jealous, it also meant that he was going to be protective. I didn’t think that Reggie would actually do anything to me, but I also wouldn’t have guessed that he’d freak out about my boyfriend dropping me off at school.

Sweet Pea was freaking out fully by now. He told me that he was going to leave school and come get me. I protested, reminding him that I still had to cheer for the Bulldogs that afternoon at the game. He didn't care. In his mind, his girl was being threatened by someone, and it was time to remind Reggie that I was all for Sweet Pea.

I was chewing on my fingernail when the bell rang. Sweet Pea had stopped responding, and I assumed that he was sulking. I was still going to go to all my classes, despite what Pea might say.

With a pit in my stomach, I headed into my next class. Thankfully, I didn't share any classes with Reggie, and the few Bulldogs that were in my class seemed to look at me with pity rather than with animosity.

I was starting to feel nauseous, and I was dreading the Vixens' practice. I wasn't ready to deal with Cheryl and her particular brand of biting scorn. I already knew that she would have some comment about Reggie and Sweet Pea, and I knew that I wasn't going to like it.

At the sound of the final bell, I slowly stood and prepared for a torturous afternoon.


	2. Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something happens at the Bulldogs game, and Sweet Pea reminds everyone that the reader is his. The reader faints while she is cheering and Sweet Pea freaks out because he doesn't know why.

Cheryl was in fine form when I arrived at the gym. She was already yelling something at a group of the other Vixens when I walked in. She stopped mid-sentence and shot me a sugary sweet smile. I tensed in anticipation.

"Oh, sweetie, I'm so glad you're here. I needed someone with gang connections to really scare these biotches into actually dancing." She turned to the girls and clapped her hands. "Alright, ladies, if you don't put 200% more effort into this routine, she will send her nasty Serpent boyfriend to break your kneecaps or whatever."

I gritted my teeth, biting back my angry retort. Responding to her would only make things worse. I shot an apologetic look at the poor girls under fire. Only two of them returned my gaze.

With a sigh, I turned and trudged off to find a corner where I could stretch in peace. My stomach was clenched in a tight knot as I looked around the gym. The Vixens had always been my friends, even if our friendship was more on the level of coworkers. Now I could see the sidelong glances and outright stares being directed my way. 

I had been officially dating Sweet Pea for almost a year at this point. I didn't keep it a secret. I didn't necessarily talk about him with just anyone, but that was because I didn't feel like talking about my personal life with people I barely knew. We spent most of our time together on the Southside because I liked his friends and we all had fun together, so Northsiders may not have been used to seeing us together. I had assumed that anyone who would care about who I was dating already knew by now, but apparently, when Reggie is somehow involved, everyone cares.

"Alright, ladies, get out here. Time to work," Cheryl yelled.

Practice had officially begun.

\--------------------------------

Later that afternoon, I was standing on the football field in my uniform. The chilly air sent a shiver down my spine. I gripped my pompoms ferociously. I was more nervous than I would have liked; Reggie and the rest of the Bulldogs would be coming out of the locker room soon for the pre-game cheer.

I searched the bleachers carefully. Sweet Pea was supposed to be there with the Serpents to help keep an eye on the situation. He had even apologized for his dramatics earlier and promised that he would do his best not to get violent tonight. I really wanted to see him before the game began.

"You ok?" asked one of the Vixens, placing her hand gently on my shoulder. 

The girls were treating me like I was a bomb that might go off at any second. I wasn't sure if they were waiting for Reggie or if they thought that I myself was going to lose it.

"Yeah, I'm good. Just looking to see if my friends are here yet." I smiled back at the girl tentatively.

Her eyes shot to the bleachers as she scanned them herself. I think she knew who I meant when I said "friends". She pursed her lips and nodded, looking like she wanted to get out of the blast zone.

"Good luck," she said in a pitying tone before taking off.

When I turned back, I found myself staring straight at a strongly muscled chest. I gulped, looking up at Reggie's face. I took a step backwards to increase the distance between us. He had a very serious look on his face, but I couldn't tell how angry he was.

"Well well well. If it isn't our supportive cheerleader. Are you ready to support your team's captain?"

"I don't know what you mean, Reggie. You know I support the Bulldogs," I said quietly, trying to maintain eye contact.

Reggie sneered at me. "Right. Of course. So that must mean you're ready to go on a date with me."

Reggie reached out and grabbed my arm, hard. He leaned closer to me with a satisfied look on his face. I tried to tear my arm free, but his hand was squeezing my forearm with too much force.

"Reggie. I am not going to go on a date with you." I tried to appear strong and unafraid, but I wasn't sure what Reggie was going to do and I felt light-headed.

Reggie opened his mouth to respond, a sneer spreading across his features. At that moment, I felt a strong arm wrap around my waist. I turned and saw Sweet Pea standing there with rage in his eyes. 

"Hey, babe, what are we talking about?"

He stared pointedly at Reggie's grip on my arm, but Reggie didn't let go.

"None of your business, criminal," Reggie taunted Sweet Pea with a challenging voice.

Before I could blink, Sweet Pea's arm darted forward and broke Reggie's grip on my arm. I quickly stepped back behind Sweets.

Reggie held his arm, rage contorting his features. "That's my throwing arm, asshole!"

Sweets shrugged. "Maybe you shouldn't put your throwing arm anywhere near my girl then."

Reggie didn't say anything else. He backed away, staring Sweets down the entire time. Sweet Pea rolled his eyes and turned to me, running his hands over my body as if to reassure himself that I was still there.

"Are you ok, princess?" He searched my eyes. "Did he hurt you?"

I shook my head, burying my face in Sweet Pea's chest. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head.

"Come here."

Sweets led me off the field. I didn't protest. I was shaking and exhausted after the confrontation with Reggie.

"You're not mad at me, right? For hitting Reggie's arm? I wasn't sure if that counted as violence or just defence."

I laughed without humour. "No, I'm not mad. I'm so glad you showed up when you did. I was getting scared," I admitted.

Sweets turned, stopping around the corner of a custodian shed. He pulled me to him and kissed me with an edge of panic. He had been afraid for me too. Reggie's unpredictable attitude of recent was hard to gauge. 

Sweet Pea pulled back and leaned down to rest his forehead on mine. 

"You're mine, and I'm going to take care of you, ok?"

He reached out and brushed a stray strand of hair behind my ear.

I turned and brushed my lips against his softly. He instantly deepened the kiss, gripping my hips with hard fingers. I whimpered involuntarily, opening my mouth under his. Our tongues met in a hot caress.

Sweets pulled back and began to kiss the line of my jaw. I ran my fingers up through his hair, sighing under the heady onslaught. His lips ran down my throat to the high neckline of my uniform. He darted his tongue underneath, fingers moving to the back to undo the zipper there.

"Sweets! The game! I have to get back," I breathed.

"Not yet, princess. You're mine," he growled back.

His assault on the zipper stopped but his fingers ran through my hair, mussing my game-ready ponytail. 

He kissed my neck below my ear, causing me to gasp and tighten my grip on his hair, pulling gently. He began to suck harder on the tender skin, and I arched my back, letting out a sigh. Sweets pulled back with a cheeky grin, watching me for a moment before moving down to tenderly kiss another trail up my neck, stopping to smooth his tongue over the mark that was already beginning to appear.

He pulled back abruptly, laughing at the bereft expression on my face. "Like you said, you're supposed to be at the game! We gotta get you back."

I groaned, attempting to fix my uniform and my hair. I felt the tender spot on my neck, eyes widening as I realized what he had done.

"Sweets! Did you give me a hickey on purpose?" I demanded.

He smirked at me in response. I groaned.

"It's above my uniform too. Seriously, Sweets?"

Sweet Pea didn't look sorry. He pulled me close to him.

"I told you, you're mine. Certain people needed to be reminded of that fact." His eyes narrowed as he seemed to think about Reggie.

I sighed. This was going to be embarrassing.

“Don’t be mad, baby,” he whispered in my ear. “I love you and I’ll protect you.”

We made our way back to the field, Sweet Pea only leaving after dropping a heavy kiss on my lips. I blushed, knowing that anyone could have seen that, and probably would also see the hickey.

I picked up the pompoms which I had dropped earlier. I gave them a practice shake to get rid of any grass or dirt they might have picked up. The act of shaking them was enough to make me lightheaded. 

Why am I so weak today? I wondered. I tried to remember the last time I’d eaten. With growing horror, I realized that I hadn’t eaten lunch or any snacks today. I had been so distracted by Reggie that I hadn’t remembered to replace my ruined sandwich, and I’d been feeling too nauseous and nervous to have my usual snacks. Do I have time to grab something? I checked my watch just as the Vixens began to gather in the centre of the field.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I would have to finish the opening routine without any food. Before Cheryl could yell at me, I joined the team in our usual warm-up routine.

I saw Sweets sitting with crossed arms in the stands. Toni and Fangs were sitting on either side of him, leaning over to talk to each other. He saw me looking and smiled at me, smacking his friends so they would look up too. Toni waved enthusiastically and Fangs sent me a friendly nod.

I smiled back. I tried to focus on the warm-up routine. It was taking more attention than usual to remember the once-familiar moves.

Thankfully the warm-up ended. I wobbled on my feet slightly as I made my way to my position for the game opener. I wished that it was my turn to hold the banner for the Bulldogs to run through.

“What the hell is that on your neck?” demanded Cheryl, one hip cocked and her armed crossed. Her bright red lips were pursed and her eyes sparked with anger.

My hand shot to the bruise self-consciously. “I know, I’m sorry, I just didn’t have time to do anythi-“

“I don’t need excuses from you! I just need to know that you’re going to do this routine perfectly without leaving in the middle for a quick gangbang with the Serpents,” she snarled.

I inhaled sharply. I didn’t have the energy or brain power to defend myself against her barbed tongue. I just nodded.

Her eyes narrowed and she cast a quick look up and down my body. With a huff, she whirled on her heel and went to her starting position.

I turned back to the bleachers. I saw Sweet Pea frowning in my direction. Toni had a concerned look on her face while Fangs was saying something animatedly.

I waved at them, wondering what they were thinking. The music started suddenly, blaring through the speakers. I tried to take deep breaths as I prepared.

The Vixens gave their everything during every routine, partly because we were afraid of what Cheryl would do to us if we were anything less than perfect. I finished the big handstand with an impressive twirl. I felt the blood rushing out of my head and the edges of my vision went dark. I tried to continue on, hoping I could shake it off, but the encroaching darkness grew. My muscles gave way as the last pinpoint of light faded.

——————-

I woke up slowly to the sound of yelling and angry voices. Toni was holding me in her lap and gently slapping my cheek. She saw my eyes flutter open and turned behind her to yell something.

She smiled down at me and said something, but the rushing in my ears made it impossible to hear. I raised a single finger in a ‘wait’ gesture. Sweet Pea suddenly kneeled on the ground beside me.

“—cess? What’s wrong?” he demanded, gripping my face with his hands.

I cleared my throat carefully. “I think my blood sugar got too low.”

He frowned. “Are you sure? Reggie might have done some-“

I interrupted. “I’m very sure. I have hypoglycaemia and I forgot that I skipped my lunch because of all the stress today.”

“I told you, asshole!” I heard Reggie’s voice from somewhere behind me.

Sweet Pea was on his feet and moving towards him in a second. Toni shook her head at me when I moved to sit up and call after him.

“How am I supposed to know what’s happening when my girl faints suddenly, suspiciously after you were being an aggressive asshole all day?”

"I never would have hurt her," Reggie sneered.

I fought to turn so that I could see them.

"Oh yeah? Then why were you holding onto her arm earlier when she clearly didn't want you to?" Sweet Pea demanded, getting in Reggie's face.

"Hey man, don't get mad at me because you didn't know your own girlfriend has a medical problem," Reggie shot back.

I winced. I hadn't told Sweet Pea because I didn't want him to constantly worry about me. I knew how to take care of myself and my blood sugar most of the time; it was just on stressful days that I had to be consciously aware of how long it had been since I last ate. I already knew that Sweet Pea would be hovering and trying to "help" me keep track of my diet from now on.

After a moment, Sweet Pea punched Reggie right in the face. Reggie stumbled and fell to the ground, Cheryl standing nearby with crossed arms and a frown on her face. She didn’t move to help him. Sweets turned and stalked over to me. 

"What do you need? What can I do to help?" he asked, anguish in his eyes.

I smiled up at him. “I could use some juice or candy? Just for now?”

Fangs appeared beside me, holding a bottle of apple juice he must have found while I was passed out. He was panting and slightly sweaty.

“Is this ok? Someone in the bleachers said this would work.”

“Yeah, that’s great. Thanks, Fogarty,” I said with a smile.

I slowly sipped my juice, holding each sip in my mouth for a moment. I still felt very shaky and cold, but the knot in my stomach was starting to pass.

I could hear Reggie groaning and muttering behind me. I tried not to think about him or what he might do to me now.

“Well, now that your little diva moment is over, I’m going to head back out there,” Cheryl spoke for the first time, sounding annoyed but also possibly a little relieved.

I turned in time to see her step around Reggie where he sat on the ground. She shot him a disgusted look.

“Reggie. Are you ok?” I asked in a flat tone.

He shot me a look I couldn’t decipher. “Just give me a moment. I’m fine.”

“Good. Now please leave me alone,” I said, turning away from him.

Sweet Pea scooped me into his arms and held me against his chest. “Keep drinking your juice, princess.”

Fangs chimed in, “Do you need something else? ‘Cause there’s a vending machine in the school and I think I could scare some of the people in the bleachers into giving me their food if you need it.”

“Thanks, guys, but I just want to go home, to be honest. Is that ok?” I looked into Pea’s eyes pleadingly.

“Of course! Let’s get you out of here.”

He strode towards his bike, Toni and Fangs following closely behind. He set me in his lap carefully so that I wouldn’t fall but he could still navigate safely.

Toni and Fangs said they would meet us at the trailer, and I knew there was no point in trying to convince them that I was ok. They were all a little bit freaked out. I knew they loved me, and I did feel somewhat guilty for not telling them about my hypoglycaemia before now.

I curled into Sweet Pea’s chest. The Serpents were the best kind of family to have. I felt safe and secure in the knowledge that they would protect me.

 

 


End file.
